o be more and more
frequent. Mrs. Snow was now accepted by all as one of the family, and
Captain Eri had come to hold a high opinion of her and her views. What
he liked about her, he said, was her "good old-fashioned common-sense,"
and, whereas he had formerly trusted to his own share of this virtue
almost altogether, now he was glad to have hers to help out.

The marriage idea, that which had brought the housekeeper to Orham, was
now seldom mentioned. In fact, Captain Eri had almost entirely ceased to
ruffle Jerry's feelings with reference to it. Mrs. Snow, of course,
said nothing about it. But, for that matter, she said very little about
herself or her affairs.

It was a curious fact that the lady from Nantucket had never referred,
except in a casual way, to her past history. She had never told how she
came to answer the advertisement in the Nuptial Chime, nor to explain
how so matter-of-fact a person as she was had ever seen that famous
sheet. As she said nothing concerning these things, no one felt at
liberty to inquire, and, in the course of time, even Captain Perez'
lively curiosity had lapsed into a trance.

Mrs. Snow was certain that Elsie's reason for wishing to obtain the
position of school-teacher was something more specific than the
one advanced. She was also certain that the girl was troubled about
something. The root of the matter, she believed, was contained in the
mysterious letter. As Captain Eri was of precisely the same opinion,
speculation between the two as to what that letter might have contained
was as lively as it was unfruitful.

One thing was certain, Elsie was not as she had formerly been. She did
her best to appear the same, but she was much more quiet, and had fits
of absentmindedness that the Captain and the housekeeper noticed. She
had no more evening "errands," but she occasionally took long walks in
the afternoons, and on these walks she evidently preferred to be alone.

Whether Mr. Hazeltine noticed this change in her was a question. The
Captain thought he did, but at any rate, his calls were none the less
frequent, and he showed no marked objection when Captain Jerry, who now
considered himself bound in honor to bring about the union he had so
actively championed, brought to bear his artful schemes for leaving the
young folks alone. These devices were so apparent that Elsie had more
than once betrayed some symptoms of annoyance, all of which were lost on
the zealous match-maker. R